Some fuel delivery systems utilize an electric fuel pump disposed within a vehicle fuel tank to draw fuel from the fuel tank and deliver that fuel under pressure to the vehicles engine. Contaminants within the fuel tank, such as weld slag or other residual materials from the manufacturing of the fuel tank as well as contaminants added to the tank during its use, can damage the fuel pump if allowed to enter therein and severely effect the durability and reliability of the fuel pump. To prevent at least the most harmful contaminants from entering the fuel pump, fuel filters of various materials have been disposed adjacent to the fuel pump inlet to trap these contaminants. These fuel filters are generally relatively small in size and located directly adjacent and attached to the fuel pump inlet.
In use, fuel flows in one direction through the fuel filter and the contaminants trapped by the filter clog the pores of the filter material and thereby reduce the fuel flow through the filter. The reduced fuel flow through the filter and into the fuel pump can damage the fuel pump as its strains to draw sufficient fuel through its inlet to supply a sufficient amount of fuel to the vehicle engine. In extreme cases, the fuel filter can become so clogged that insufficient fuel is delivered to the engine severely effecting the performance of the engine.